Although the three SCORE Prize winners represent
the diversity of education in Tennessee, from West
to East, urban to rural, they share a commitment to
doing what it takes to prepare students to be successful in college and career. To do this, they have
each set high expectations for students and adults;
reorganized and shared leadership roles; identified
and supported effective teaching; and used data
to track progress and set goals. Common themes
across the schools are highlighted below.
Embracing High Standards
Each of the 2012 SCORE Prize school-level winners
believes that all students can achieve at high levels
and exhibit academic growth, no matter what their
starting points are. All schools engage students
in setting their own academic goals and call on
parents, students, teachers, school leaders, and
community partners to help students achieve them.
• Administrators and teachers set the expectation that all students can achieve at high levels,
regardless of their starting point. The schools
have not allowed their commitment to student
success to be negatively impacted by poverty,
student disabilities, or even students’ initial lack of
motivation. Instead, each of the schools developed a culture that fostered academic success.
By working together, leaders and faculty often
meet defeatism head-on by providing a caring
adult to attend to each child, establishing respectful, student-centered environments, and
promoting achievement by encouraging students
to set goals, work hard to achieve their personal
best, and willingly receive extra tutoring or other
interventions if they fell behind.
supports, such as instructional coaches, to ensure
they understand the new standards and can reflect increased rigor in their classrooms. Covington’s teachers have focused on preparing for new
assessments that will be aligned with the new
standards. Additionally, Covington has focused
on integrating the ACT’s standards into all of its
classes to ensure that all students are prepared
for postsecondary education and training.
• Multiple interventions have been put in place
to ensure that all students have opportunities
for remediation and enrichment. At John Sevier,
teachers frequently use data to inform re-teaching and recommend students for additional
supports inside or outside of the classroom. Rose
Park implements a series of daily and weekly
interventions, including a daily, one-hour program during which students have opportunities
to receive help from teachers to master material
or tackle high school level work. Covington’s
students and teachers provide academic tutoring
to all students who do not meet expectations on
diagnostic and benchmark assessments. In each
school, interventions are informed by data and
designed to meet individual student needs.
Cultivating Strong Leaders
John Sevier Elementary, Rose Park Magnet, and
Covington High School all have strong principals
who are effective instructional leaders. These leaders are visible in classrooms, support teachers in
improving instructional effectiveness, and empower
others in the building to serve in key leadership
roles.
• The schools have each found that modeling
enthusiasm for learning and fostering a culture
of collaboration have contributed to meeting
high expectations. For example, Rose Park creates “education families” composed of students
and their peers, parents, and teachers who work
together to help students achieve academic
goals. At all three schools, teachers collaborate
both formally and informally to help each other improve instructional planning, delivery, and
effectiveness.
• While principals had several non-negotiables
around improving student achievement, each
of them gathered feedback from members
of their community before making significant
changes. At both John Sevier and Covington,
principals embarked on a listening tour when
they arrived at the school before making drastic
changes to build organizational structures and
practices to increase effectiveness. They were
strategic in their actions but proceeded quickly so
that all staff knew that change was expected and
supported.
• All schools have been proactive in implementing higher standards for teaching and learning
through the Common Core State Standards.
Both John Sevier and Rose Park have provided
their teachers with ongoing training and other
• Leaders hold all faculty and staff accountable
for their performance. All three principals have
clearly communicated their expectations and
goals for their schools. They frequently observe
classrooms and provide timely, constructive
Pathways to the Prize
Lessons from the 2012 SCORE Prize School Winners
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